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On our very first trip to Kruger and SA,the 2nd day we were on the dirt Moroela road driving slowly towards some circling vultures, we came to a downhill curve and as I bottomed out, my SO screamed that a trunk had just touched her arm, I never saw the young bull but after 50 yards we turned round and drove slowly back, he was there just at the side of the track, he took one look and then just carried on feeding for the next 40 mins with no bother at all.

She swears to this day that he just stroked her arm, a jj came by after 20 mins from the direction we had been going and told us of a very troublesome herd on the road about 800m ahead, it had taken them 1 hr to get away after becoming surrounded.

The other good news was that we went back the way we had come and saw wild dogs, they were finishing a kill hence the vultures who were now all in atree at the side of the road, our first time of smelling the aftermath of a kill.

A couple of years/decades ago on a game drive we were following a male and 3 female lions who were on the hunt.

They charged at some Impala and one of the impala bolted and ran straight into the vehicle knocking itself out The male Lion was right behind it, but fortunately turned away and then stole an impala off one of the female lions .I was sitting on the side of the action!!!

Looking into those eyes was scary - we all sat frozen on that vehicle and later apparently the rangers had to go back and shoot the impala cause it had injuries from the collosion

My SO was swimming once and when he picked up towel next to pool there was a puffy underneath it - Olympic long jump record broken that night...

Over the years I have quite a few wild moments. Some that stand out in my mind are:

1. Being "treed" by a white rhino that obviously thought it was a black rhino while on a foot safari in KZN after being asured by the guide that white rhinos do not charge!

2. Being charged by an elephant and having to reverse for over 200 metres with the elephant only a few feet away from the front of the vehicle - no mock charge. After he stopped I stopped and he charged again so I had to do the reversing thing all over again. I still do not know how I managed to control the vehicle. Later I reversed back towards him as I needed to get past him to get back to camp and he charged again. I had to find another way back to camp. (KNP)

3. Walked into a leopard while out walking in Wankie (why I was on foot is another story). He went one way and I went the other. I consider myself to have been very lucky not to have suffered serious injury during this encounter.

4. While photographing lion on kill with a 500mm lens I had a lion walk up to the vehicle and smell the lens.l I did not see the lion coming because of the limited field of vision through the lens. The first I knew of the lion was when I felt something push the lens and the field of vision went dark. I looked over the top of the lens. Our eyes locked. I did not move but I slowly started to close my eyes to break the eye contact. After a few moments the lion walked back to the kill. (KNP)

5. I was photographing a mating pair of lion when a second male lion charged the vehicle. I saw him coming as I was looking over the top of the 600mm lens that I was using and was able to yell at him. He came to a stop a matter of feet from the vehilce and I was able to withdraw the lens and close the window. I had to stop photographing for a few minutes as I was so shaken up. Later this second lion mated with the lioness. The only time I have ever seen two lions with a single female. (KNP)

Last edited by Thebi on Sun Feb 21, 2010 10:51 am, edited 1 time in total.

iHi Nightjar,The worst incident I have had was when my ten year old son was bitten by a puffadder while playing with friends and had to be rushed to hospital. He survived without any serious damage. This was many years ago and today he has a good story to tell when we seat around the camp fire having a few beers with friends.

Having worked as a guide in the KNP and one of the surrounding private reserved I have a few scary moments I would like to share:

1. Once as students we were watching a pride of lions close to Girivana feeding on a freshly killed wildebeest. It was early morning and the golden light was stunning. The next moment this young male also left the kill and stuck his head inside the window on the passenger side, fortunately his head was too big and could not get through....I remember telling the girl in the front seat...when I get to three I'm closing the window....luckily the lion jumped backed when the window started moving. We were all shocked and also could not stop laughing for a long time after leaving the sighting.

2. While guiding in the Sabi Sands we were busy training as rangers and after dark one night stopped for a toilet break. The men were all standing in the dark in front of the landy. When finished we got back in the landy and when we switched on the lights two lionesses were coming down the road straight towards us. If we stopped a minute later who knows what might've happended.

3. Another such thing happened to a guest while having sundowners. I stopped on an open area and there was one fallen over tree which the ladies used for a toilet. The lady that went came back and as I looked back where she came from a white rhino male came stomping out from behind the log. I could not believe it because the area was very open and it was not dark yet so e woul've seen the bugger coming, but alas nothing happened so lucky again.

4. My closest call was in Moremi botswana. Once we got charged by a male lion when getting in between him and his lioness while mating. The lion jumped at the landy and missed us by inches while we were driving off.

The same trip I was also on a floodplain on my way to the only tree in the area for a pitstop when the others called me back and started racing towards me.....I was confused but on ground level I did not see the huge male lion that started to stalk me from behind the tree I was walking towards. I was shocked and so glad the others saw what was happening.

5. Ultimately being a guide in the SS is an experience altogehter, but tracking animals on foot I have been charged by elephant, lion, buffalo and rhino. Must say the scariest was trying to get an ellie out of camp and being chased all around one of the chalets.

We were sleeping over in Letaba in one of the safari tents. It happened to be Mopani moth time....!! :

From lying flat down in a bed, fast asleep,......the quickest way to get me jumping straight up and on attention with the light switch on in a split second..... is when at that moment of deep sleep, that same mopani moth decided to land straight onto my face!

With its moving legs clutched onto my nose, and its wings flapping vigurously all over my face is surely one of the worst ways to get my heart rate going to critical proportions!!

Live for today,because todayis the 'tomorrow'we dreamed about yesterday..

Walking to the ablutions in the dark at Tamboti, heard something walking through the bush. Stopped dead still to listen and shone the torch in that direction, only to see a dassie and 3 babies run out. Was I relieved but my heart was pumping for a long time afterwards.On 01/01/2000 having breakfast at Mooiplaas, men were cooking, us girls were drinking champagne and kids were running around. Then a lion roared! It sounded as if it was right next to us. I have never seen people collect together so quickly, all huddled under the boma. The cars are all a distance away. The attendant said there was a lion kill the night before, 100 meters from the picnic sight. We carried on with our breakfast, listening to the lion roaring and watching hyenas also walking down the road approaching the picnic sight. None of us went to the river look out!

I see we've had our share of running around camps with elephant charging away at us. Had the same with hippo (ended up a biiiig tree!), buffalo, rhino and a very very pi****d off warthog. Probably the scariest and most exhilarating experience was while doing anti poaching in Tanzania and actually managed to touch an ellie without it knowing. Took us, an ex poacher and I!, a good 40 minutes to get that close and was probably the most tense 40 minutes in my life.

"You can leave Africa but Africa never leaves you"LIFE IS MADE OF GOOD AND BAD THINGS, I TAKE THE GOOD AND YOU CAN KEEP THE BAD!!!Andy Benaglia

One night we were waiting for guests to arrive at a very remote lodge in one of the private reserves adjoining KNP. Eventually we decided that it was time to go and look for them.

We hopped in to a vehicle and drove down the dirt road. Well, knowing that there were plenty of elephant around, I was rather cautious. A dark moonless bush, narrow winding road and lots of elephants are not good for ones nerves. But possibly having to drive far, I could not go too slow either.

Rounding a sharp bend, my eyes just caught some movement to the side of the road and I immediately knew it must be elephant. I stopped, and switched off to try and listen, because I could see nothing. But nothing moved.

So I started driving again. Not 40 meters down the road, I suddenly found myself smack bang in the middle of a herd. I could see adults and young blocking the road in front of me and could hear a lot of noise and see movement to the sides.

Suddenly I saw the white tusks of an elephant coming towards the vehicle from the side on the passengers side, where my daughter was sitting. The cow was trumpeting as she came, I realized it was serious and we were in trouble!

In front of me there was elephant chaos, and I had split seconds before this cow was going to hit me. I could do nothing.

Luckily I had stopped right next to two rather large Marula trees growing right next to each other. The cow had to navigate around them, and to the back of my vehicle to reach me. In the few moments that took, the road cleared and I floored the peddle, taking my chances that the road would remain clear.

Years ago (mid 90's) we were en route to Satara. Stopped off at the dam close to Tshokwne. (Not Orpen, the one one the Tshokwane / Satara road.) A couple of gee-raffs drinking. Way cool, never seen that one before. Also a Black Backed Jackal close to the water, and hey, that looks like a pride of lion waaaaaaaay over there in the distance. SO I take the binocs, but like I still cant really be sure. I happen to be stopped over a game trail but like so what, no game around anyway. Or is there?

I check to the left past SO (Liewe Exie to be precise) and in the distance I see a lone ellie headed our way. Check it out, he is on the game path I'm parked across. Tell SO to check out the ellie and she goes like intercontintal ballistic. "Move the car! MOVE THE CAR!. Do it NOW. So I start her up and engage reverse. "WTF are YOU DOING???? MY folks are BEHIND YOU!!!!!!" Where are you going????"

"Hey, chillax woman, I am just backing up a bit to get a good pic of the ellie as he passes the car."

That must have been Liewe Exies scariest mo'.

Mine, a toss up between the time I got out of the car at Punda to check out a potential camp site for the tents.I heard this noise o the grass and looked down to see a puffy no more that about 18 inches from my foot which was bare. Lucky for me, he had started to slither off under the fence when I got out the car.

The other one that was pretty hairy for me was last time I was in the KNP. (The other side of the toss-up coin) Staying at Croc bridge, we decided to go in search of the impala in the tree in the hope of seeing the cat that put it there. (I have it on reasonable authority that Impalas climb trees fairly often in KNP (with the help of dappled cats) but never seen this phenomenon.) So I try to get a rough idea of where and it sounds like S25. Off we go, some woman stopped on the roadside so I stop to ask for direction. "No, we are looking for the cheetah that disappeared into the bush and hour ago."

So we decide to head on. Come across two buffs walking out the bush close by so we stop, take a few pix and just sit there for a bit. Only thing is, they're now walking in the road. So I start the car, and edge slowly closer on the right of the road to try and squeeze past. About halfway through the manouvre, one decides to turn and charge.

Well, I hit the gas and got out of there PDQ. About ten seconds later SO (That would be current SO) and I burst out laughing. So much so that I needed to get to Afsaal for a bit of relief.

I'd say the last incident was the scariest I've exerienced. The puffy I knew was out there and more scaredof me that I was of it (Oh really. I am terrified of snakes.)

Seriously, I wasn't that scared, but those buff, well, let's just say I really needed to have a shower before I hit the bed later that night.

Bunny Hugger

Conservation is not an option.It's imperative.

Leave KNP alone. Go build a hotel someplace else. Reserves are for the preservation of wildlife.

Well I had also scarry experiences. One was in the Cape Nature reserve. Some of you may know it but I´m gonna tell it again. I really dislike unpack the car, so after a long drive I decided to visited the Loo. When I open the door a green Snake fall firstly on my head, then on my shoulder pastly on my feed. I was quite shocked I run left the Snake right. I assume the Snake was as scarry as I am but well that is my interpretation. Anyway I was really shocked.

The next scarry moment were in Umfolozi (I know not SANP). It was december and quite warm in the late afternoon we decided to made a drive (My father, Mom, Sister and grandmom 1and Grandmom2). Everything went right till the last hundred meters in front of the camp. In the Distance we saw a lot of cars we were so excited because there must be something special. Well it was a T-junction and as time were pushing We all looked on the right handside (the cars were there). My dad turnt left, behind the corner an Ellie stands. we have to say we had no chance of seeing it because of the bushes. My dad used the break heavily Dust everywhere. And now the hunt started. The Ellie doesn´t like us and charged us. The proble we had no chance to made a turn around. We had to driuve 2-3 km in the reverse gear, the Ellie came closer and closer. My Dad decided to turn the car. The Ellie came nearer and nearer. And time takes it took to long to bump in the right gears if you got in trouble because of the ellie. And then it was done The car were on the right direction. But now we got another problem the time. It was a long loop we were not able to be on time if we drive the loop again. Therefor we must past the Ellie again. Twice he decided not to let us go. Time was running and running. We really got under stress, because we don´t want to get punished because of comming late. We had a really big trouble. And one point when we saw the Ellie in the Bush my Dad decided to push the Gas and finally we were able to past without getting a mad Ellie behind us.

So what we didn´t know other guests informed the Ranger, that we were in trouble, so when we arrived everybody which saw the chase were celebrating us when we arrived. Everybody were clapping Hands. And everyboday was happy that nothing more happens. Evenso we were round about 30 min. late we didn´t need to pay a fine. the opposite way would be the case. If the Ellie got us and turn the car, the ranger would look for us. Because this Ellie was allready well known of beeing aggresive. Five mnutes later he had start the search.

In the end almost everything went right except the car. The car was broken after that. As far as I can remember the clutch broke.

Who of you have gone to Kruger viewpoints on your own and have been too scared to get out of your car ?? I have been to Steven Hamilton Rock in Kruger where people have got out, only once I got out and walked around the rock.Who have you have been to Tshanga and have stayed trembling in your car , or left the door open for a quick escape back into your vehicle ?

O.K here goes....... We got that "something was watching us" feeling at Mooiplaas picnic site at 6.10 a.m, we were the only people there, we parked our car and there is a piece of open bush that you walk through, which has more bushes on the sides to get to the "viewing deck". The bush is cleared but not totally and I am sure "something" was watching us. When we returned to camp (Tsendze) our neighbours told us that they saw cheetah at Mooiplaas at 6.30am.

I am the biggest scaredy cat of all Now this thread won't help my condition, and still I go back. Last year at Mlondozi on our afternoon drive we arrived and there was not a single human being in the surrounding. We still got out though, I stayed very close to the car. Suddenly on the plains below we heard a lion roar, it must have been very close. In a split second everyone jumped in the car and we admired the ellies in the dam from the safety of the car. Can remember a pic of lioness at Nkumbe car park sometime last year?